Book Review: Jack & Rochelle by Jack Sutin

Jack and Rochelle Sutin crossed paths in the winter of 1942-43, when, after separate escapes from Nazi ghetto labor camps, they discovered each other in the wooded lands of Poland. The forest where they remained in hiding was a place where many Jews and Russians, the so-called partisans, had fled to in an effort to escape Nazi persecution.

Despite their bleak surroundings–inhuman living conditions and ever-present danger–Jack and Rochelle began a careful courtship that flourished into a deepening love. With a new determination and a thirst for revenge, Jack led partisan raids on nearby Polish farms that were occupied by Nazi sympathizers. Thus was their resistance waged, often in ignorance of what atrocities were being committed in the rest of Europe. Cut off from the outside world, the partisans’ survival depended on desperate, makeshift warfare strategies. Maintained by a blind faith and their deep love for one another, Jack and Rochelle survived circumstances that had never before been imposed on a people.
Today, Jack and Rochelle are part of a small group of resistance fighters whose testimony offers all readers and students a unique perspective on this terrible episode of human history. Lawrence Sutin herein presents his parents’ story in their own words, stories that he has heard throughout his life. In a thoughtful afterword, he reflects on his experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors.


Ably edited by their son Lawrence, the instructive and inspiring Holocaust narrative of Jack and Rochelle Sutin provides ample proof of both the degradation implicit in the Shoah and the astounding strength and courage Jewish partisans demonstrated in their battle against the attempted Nazi genocide. “Jack and Rochelle” is a deceptively easy book to read; the chapters consist of blended chronological testimonies; Lawrence Sutin honorably avoids imposing his own voice on his parents, instead allowing his mother and father to describe, in their own words, their own cadences, the horrors they faced and the gritty resolve they mustered to fight back. Rarely does a subtitle so accurately depict the contents of a memoir as does their own: “A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance.”

Both Jack and Rochelle came from educated and enlightened eastern European Jewish families. As the two of them chronicle the onset of anti-Jewish depradations, they remind us of the rich texture of their pre-war lives. This dimension of humanity, of lives complicated by strained love relations, competitive urges and the deeply felt need for independence, makes the Nazi onslaught all the more unsettling and horrific.

Several themes predominate in the Sutins’ braided lives. First is the omnipresence of Jew hatred, whether it be in pre or post war Poland, in the brutally repressive Soviet bureaucracy or the finely honed hatred of Nazi Germany. Indifferent neighbors, vicious anti-Jewish Russian partisans (who commit ghastly sexual offenses against women who want nothing more than to join them in battling a common enemy), and the active participants in human eradication, the Nazis, make the Sutins’ world one of constant peril. Survival is never taken for granted, and Jack and Rochelle’s descriptions of their physical torment, often undertated, is wrenching to read. Personal sacrifice exists on every level: physical, social and spiritual. Rochelle’s first child dies within a day due to exposure when its survival imperils others; Jack is literally covered with pus-filled boils as a result of living outside the boundaries of human habitation.

Yet, neither Jack or Rochelle never complain, never give themselves away to self-pity. Instead, they are infused with the Judaic command to remember and Rochelle’s mother’s insistence on revenge, to take action to avenge the murder of their people. In this charged atmosphere of sanguine justice and physical erosion, amidst the rank and fetid habitat of primitive partisan surroundings, hope and love survive. Jack dreams that Rochelle will appear. She does. Despite sexual abuse and spiritual depletion, Rochelle gradually accepts and receives Jack’s love. He has never stopped loving her.
“Jack and Rochelle” is above all a cry of victory. It is a cry that murder and eradication cannot conquer a people. It is a cry that memory and consecration to life will prevail over death. It is a cry that love can endure, even if it is formed in the absolute crucible of death.

Book Review: A countess below the stairs by Eva Ibbotson

After the Russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian Countess, has no choice but to flee to England. Penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties—not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome Earl of Westerholme. To make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of Rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancée..
I am emotionally winded by this book in the best possible way! Whether it’s the time of year and the bitter winter snow outside that made this book hit the spot the way it did I’m not certain.

But the poetic language, the sheer romanticism, the wit, the Shakespearean farce element, the astute social, historical, cultural, sexual, racial and class observations were all perfectly balanced to create one of the most richly feel-good romances I’ve read in years.

I’ve always admired Eva Ibbotson for hitting that intimate personal note in her stories, even the lighter childrens’ books like Which Witch?. But in this book which is for young adults she’s created a masterpiece of evocative storytelling combined with painfully accurate social dynamics which made me weep several times. I saw Ollie’s cruel heartbreak coming a mile off and was crying in sympathy in advance!

I shed tears for Rupert’s war-trauma and Uncle Sid’s elderly wandering eye. It’s very, very obvious from the get-go that the end is wreathed in a halo of golden roses, so the fun lies in finding out how the star-crossed lovers get each other. The strength here, as with most of Ibbotson’s work, lies in a beautifully worked out supporting cast of fantastic characters: Mr. Proom and his batty mother, the Herrings, The Honourable Olive, Baskerville the boarhound, Minna, James, the Scottish Gardener, Pinny…the list goes on. We get just enough background and depth from the author to really get a feel for who all these people are. For instance, Proom the butler isn’t just the sum of his one-liners, as is so often the case with side characters of that kind. In fact, he’s one of the real heroes of the tale.

The one slight hiccup is Anna herself, though even she isn’t entirely stereotypical as the huge-hearted heroine. But she is such a very radiantly good girl, so beatific, going so far as to describe someone thinking about her using the phrase ‘her votive hands’, that it’s almost impossible to live her struggles with her. Things will be all right almost by default around Anna, so that her anguish, her trouble, her heartache become less powerful than the colour palette of her joys, quirks and generosity.

Having said that, one of the more clever ideas in this book is that she isn’t really so very secret. Everyone around her recognizes her genteel birth in her manner, turn of phrase, bearing, appreciation of art and music and education. They decide to humour her for her own sake and play along in her presenting herself as a housemaid. Her curtsies had me in stitches, it was so vivid. And luckily she isn’t so unreal as to not feel sympathy for her. She has a personality of Sarah Bernhardt like proportions: Sensuous, generous and with great dramatic flair, but her heart’s in the right place. Just that tiny little bit too Holy, you know? But she is the mulch that the other characters thrive on and for that, she has to be the way she is.

The other aspect that makes this book more than just a throwaway romance are the racism and Ubermensch theories two of the characters so passionately flaunt, with the utter conviction of their being right. Set as the story is between two World Wars, it is an intelligently shuddersome foreshadowing of the drive behind the eugenics theories of the Nazi’s. Which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly standard fare for an otherwise beautifully frothy upstairs/downstairs love story. And the sexuality is a wonderfully matter of fact part of the narrative; again, to tackle, among other things, the sexual feelings of an elderly person so sensitively is clever and moving. Are we really so uptight that we need to ignore that elderly folk feel lustful, too?

I agree with Sid’s bottom-pinching being harmless, because nothing else is made available to someone like him: Elderly people are to become sexless when they reach a certain age and I find this objectionable. Ibbotson makes a point of mentioning that Sid never had anything but willing partners and if the maids are able to laugh off a bit of a grope, why can’t we? In fact, their understanding was very touching, I thought.

The writing itself is delightfully poetic and drips with atmospheric descriptions, be it of food, dress, gardens or rooms. An instant all time favourite which left me with the most perfect Christmas feeling!

Book Review: Royal Panoply by Carolly Erickson

From medieval conqueror to Renaissance autocrat to Victorian Empress to modern melodrama, Royal Panoply is the story of some of the most fascinating people in world history. With her trademark blend of probing scholarship, lively prose, and psychological insight, Carolly Erickson focuses on each monarch’s entire life—from the puny, socially awkward Charles I, to the choleric, violent William the Conqueror, to the well-meaning, deeply affectionate Queen Anne, who was so heavy she had to be carried to her coronation. Royal Panoply recaptures the event-filled, often dangerous, always engaging lives of England’s kings and queens, set against the backdrop of a thousand years of Britain’s past

Glimpses of the lives of each of the British monarchs from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. A great book for getting a basic idea of the highlights of each reign and popularly held opinions regarding each monarch and his/her life plus a few less well-known tidbits (to me) (little facts like when George I came to rule England all the general public knew of him was that he was a German general who had locked his beautiful wife in a tower for twenty years and killed her lover after he discovered evidence of an adulterous affair).

There are times however, when I felt that Erickson oversimplified some of the individuals or took a stand on an event or a personality without substantiating it (you know, statements like: Pomp and Circumstance IV loathed High and Mighty for his superior graces and popularity with the people). Just a little evidence or an allusion to evidence would have made it a much more authoritative work for me. That said, I still enjoyed the book. Hey, and now I can recite the British royal line all the way from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II! (Won’t that be useful for winding up parties?!):0)

Book Review: The Tudor Wife by Emily Purdy

Shy, plain Lady Jane Parker feels out of place in Henry VIII’s courtly world of glamour and intrigue–until she meets the handsome George Boleyn. Overjoyed when her father arranges their marriage, her joy is abruptly cut short when she meets Anne… George Boleyn is completely devoted to his sister; and as Anne’s circle of admirers grows, so does Jane’s resentment. Becoming Henry’s queen makes Anne the most powerful woman in England; but it also makes her vulnerable, as the King is desperate for an heir. When he begins to tire of his mercurial wife, the stage is set for the ultimate betrayal. Encompassing the reigns of four of Henry’s wives, from the doomed Anne to the reckless Katherine Howard, THE TUDOR WIFE is an unforgettable story of ambition and jealousy, combining the sumptuous historical detail of Philippa Gregory’s novels with the lust and authenticity of the hugely successful TV series THE TUDORS.

Now despite what the description says this is not the most historically accurate book. However I never go into a historical fiction thinking that I am reading a reference book so I can sit back and enjoy. The Tudor wife was a fantastic read for me. It looked into the Tudor court from another point of view. Most of the books I read about the topic center on King Henry (to be expected of course) but I like hearing about the events from other points of view. Jane is often shown and played as a viper and a bit of a vicious woman. This book is no exception she does many things badly and wrong. However look at the situations she was placed into. Can any of us really say we would have done different than she did? I am not sure I could. If you like reading about the Tudor’s and love a good historical fiction that has twists, turns and drama this is going to be a great read for you.

Book Review: Empress by Shan Sa

A ravishing historical novel of one of China’s most controversial historical figures: its first and only female emperor, Empress Wu, who emerged in the Tang Dynasty and ushered in a golden age. In seventh-century China, during the great Tang dynasty, a young girl from the humble Wu clan entered the imperial gynaecium, which housed ten thousand concubines. Inside the Forbidden City, she witnessed seductions, plots, murders, and brazen acts of treason. Propelled by a shrewd intelligence, an extraordinary persistence, and a friendship with the imperial heir, she rose through the ranks to become the first Empress of China. On the one hand, she was a political mastermind who quelled insurrections, eased famine, and opened wide the routes of international trade. On the other, she was a passionate patron of the arts who brought Chinese civilization to unsurpassed heights of knowledge, beauty, and sophistication.
And yet, from the moment of her death to the present day, her name has been sullied, her story distorted, and her memoirs obliterated by men taking vengeance on a women who dared become Emperor. For the first time in thirteen centuries, Empress Wu flings open the gates of her Forbidden City and tells her own astonishing tale-revealing a fascinating, complex figure who in many ways remains modern to this day.

          
Empress has regal flowing prose and is beautifully written. Unfortunately, the content is anything but beautiful; and the main character, a woman known as Empress Wu, who became the first (and, I believe, only, female emperor in China), metamorphoses from a caterpillar that flaunts the strict female conventions of her time, to a twisted and malicious butterfly with a stinger of pure, lethal venom.

At first, I really liked this book a lot. But then, as Ms. Sa got into the court intrigues, I began to be repulsed. Debauchery runs amok. Torture is the penalty for disloyalty or even disfavor; the emperor keeps a harem full of conniving women who want to be the first to bear the son that will carry on the legacy; Empress Wu, also known as Heavenlight, consorts with several women including her sister (which leads to an extremely disturbing and incestuous subplot that very nearly turned me off the book completely); and it’s basically just one big, royal mess. I couldn’t finish it to the end. I tried, but by page 213 I no longer had any vestiges of respect or liking for the main character.

Now, I’m not sure how historically accurate this book is, but I suspect it could be very close to the truth because court intrigue tends to be one of those things that are stranger than fiction. In fact, reading about this particular group of Chinese royalty reminded me of the Tudor court and the viper’s nest that it was — and who could forget the lovely Borgia family. Anyone? So people who don’t like their histories packaged up prettily and tied with string that bears the subtle hint of nationalism might really like this book. I’m generally in that camp, but the incest and violence and sheer cold-blooded cunning made it a little too difficult to swallow.

If there is anything good to be gained from this book, it is that it really makes you appreciate how far China — and the world, in general — has come with regard to the rights of man, equality between the sexes, and simple human compassion. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be a woman in 600 A.D. — not in China, nor anywhere else for that matter. It’s certainly nice to know that I can go about my daily business without being considered chattel!

Book Review: Hearts West by Chris Enss

Complete with actual advertisements from both women seeking husbands and males seeking brides, “Hearts West includes twelve stories of courageous mail order brides and their exploits. Some were fortunate enough to marry good men and live happily ever after; still others found themselves in desperate situations that robbed them of their youth and sometimes their lives. Desperate to strike it rich during the Gold Rush, men sacrificed many creature comforts. Only after they arrived did some of them realize how much they missed female companionship. One way for men living on the frontier to meet women was through subscriptions to heart-and-hand clubs. The men received newspapers with information, and sometimes photographs, about women, with whom they corresponded. Eventually, a man might convince a woman to join him in the West, and in matrimony. Social status, political connections, money, companionship, or security were often considered more than love in these arrangements.

 

This book was not only a fast read but a fantastic read. It brings you inside a time in America where it was acceptable to be a “mail order” bride. When people braved the American west and headed out to settle there was one very clear thing, there was far more Men then Women. The gentler sex was needed for so many reasons, to make families, to help with the homes and just to bring that little something that Women have about them. Chris Enss captures this nearly forgotten practice in gripping detail telling the stories of some of those who placed the ads and some who answered. Sometimes it worked out, and sometimes it didn’t after all nothing is ever 100% right? If you would like a true look into the way many relationships were formed at a time in history when Women were a “commodity”, but most willingly put themselves out there you really need to take a look at Hearts West. In this book you will also find those who were out to make money on the need for women to be in one place, some had hearts in the right place and some did not. There are some amusing scenes painted of throngs of Men awaiting a boat load of women that they can claim for wives, and what should appear on the gangplank of the boat? One, two maybe three women! Not what you would call a bounty of Ladies coming to the hard country! But the picture is amusing, and many of the stories do end in happy love matches, all from answering a simple ad in the paper. If your interested in true history and would like a book that will not only give you that but something to laugh, and cry about. I do recommend you read Hearts West by Chris Enss, my only complaint about this book is that I wish it was longer.

Book Review: A rogues proposal by Stephanie Laurens


Demon Cynster has seen love bring other men to their knees and he wants no part of it. That is, until he meets the enchanting Felicity Parteger, who wants to marry and become a mother. Although passion runs high on both sides, Felicity knows Demon is not one to surrender his freedom Oh another Cynster marries, thankfully he realizes this by chapter two. And, unlike Devil his older cousin, Demon was willing to fall and admit to falling by the end of the book. Love Flick for her willingness to follow danger and leave Demon to catch up, not to mention her quick friendship with twins. And yes I know this review may not help unless you LOVE the Bar Cynster’s and their entire crazy, overbearing, protective, possessive family members, including the beautiful, darling, amazing, adventurous and protective Females

Book Review: The Last Rake in London by Nicola Cornick

Under a blaze of chandeliers, in London’s most fashionable club, Jack Kestrel is waiting. He hasn’t come to enjoy the rich at play, he’s there to uphold his family name. But first he has to get past the ice-cool owner: the beautiful Sally Bowes. And Jack wants her to warm his bed–at any price Edwardian society flocks to Sally’s club, but dangerous Jack Kestrel is the most sinfully sensual rogue she’s ever met. Inexperienced with men, the wicked glint in Jack’s eyes promises he’ll take care of satisfying her every need…. I spent most of this book hoping the heroine would buck up and kick her boorish hero squarely in the family jewels. The writing wasn’t horrible , except for repeated misuse of the word “quiescent.” Although, given what a doormat the supposedly independent and self-minded heroine is, perhaps quiescent IS the word for her….this one rates a meh. But at least it was a fast read.

Book Review: A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander



At her friend Ivy’s behest, Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of a man she finds odious. But the despised Lord Fortescue is not to be her greatest problem. Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess once linked romantically with Emily’s fiancÉ, the debonair Colin Hargreaves, is a guest also. And a tedious evening turns deadly when their host is found murdered, and his protÉgÉ, Robert Brandon—Ivy’s husband—is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right a terrible wrong, Emily embarks on a quest that will lead her from London’s glittering ballrooms to Vienna’s sordid backstreets—and into a game of wits with a notorious anarchist. But putting Colin in deadly peril may be the price for exonerating Robert—forcing the intrepid Emily to bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange, for the life of her fiancÉ.


This is the third book in the series about Lady Emily Ashton, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed each one, I believe that this one is my favorite so far. I have enjoyed watching Emily’s character grow and mature in each book. This time, she sets out to prove the innocence of Robert Brandon, her friend Ivy’s husband, after he has been arrested for murder. The novel moves at a fast pace, and many of Emily’s friends from the previous books appear as new ones are also introduced. At the end of the previous book, Lady Emily became engaged to Colin Hargreaves, and he plays a major role in this story as he did in the others. This time, Lady Emily experiences a few qualms over a past romantic relationship of Colin’s. Political intrigues put Colin’s life in danger, and Emily does her best to ensure his safety. Colin is as wonderful in this book as he was in the other two. I find him to be an unusually delightful hero. He is so supportive of Emily and willing to let her test her abilities and intelligence. I eagerly await reading the next book in the series 🙂

Book Review: The wars of the roses by Alison Weir


Lancaster and York. For much of the 15th century, these two families were locked in battle for control of the British throne. The war between the Houses of Lancaster and York profoundly altered the course of the monarchy. In this book, one of the foremost authorities on the British royal family brilliantly brings to life the war itself and the historic figures who fought it on the great stage of England.

The Wars of the Roses are one of the most confusing periods of English history. From the origins in the rivalries between Edward III’s children to the final resolution with the founding of the Tudor dynasty by Henry VII, there are eight kings, including some of the best and worst England has had; and literally scores of major figures and families: the Nevilles, the Percys, the Woodvilles, the Beauforts, the Cliffords, the Bourchiers — the list is endless.
Making this all comprehensible the first time through is simply impossible. Weir almost manages it, though; her style is very readable and friendly, and exciting without being sensational. Weir begins with a short section describing what England was like in the fifteenth century; then she starts the story proper with Edward III, whose five sons and their families are the central players in the history.

She ends her story in 1471, with the defeat of the Lancastrians and the subsequent murder of Henry VI. She only gives a page or two to the remainder of Edward IV’s reign, and to the story of Richard III and the princes in the tower, and Henry VII’s ultimate accession in 1485. This is almost certainly because she has covered this ground in another book, “The Princes In The Tower”. The omission is understandable but still rather a mistake — the conflict doesn’t end till the Tudors are on the throne (and not even then, really — there were pretenders for years).

The only other criticism I have is that the genealogy tables at the back are too small to read easily. I tried using a magnifying glass but the reproduction is poor enough that some letters are blurred into unreadability. Even when it’s readable, it’s more work than it should be; this is a real problem for a book about the Wars of the Roses, where understanding the genealogy is crucial to keeping your bearings.

Overall I can recommend this strongly, just because it’ll give you the overall narrative clearly and excitingly, but you’ll need another source to cover the period from 1471 to 1485.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...